No wonder the eighth scenario felt so easy just now… yet there was no extra condition to assist these people. I frowned at that odd detail before the realization struck . Ah, I see… so details in the scenario must have changed because of helping Istellise back then, just like what the System warned.
After all, according to Boris and the others, the eighth scenario was very simple and straightforward, and there was no ntion of divine warriors having encountered people here.
“Let’s quickly save ’em!” Boris declared, punching his palm, already brimming with energy to charge ahead.
“This might just be a scenario,” Tuilë said, narrowing her eyes toward the caravan under siege, “and helping them might not make a difference, but I’m not going to stand by while people are slaughtered in front of us.”
“Indeed.” I nodded firmly. “Let’s move. We’ll drive the gnolls away first.”
Regardless of whether it was part of the main objective or not, exterminating gnolls remained our task. With them gathered in one place like this, it was an opportunity we couldn’t afford to waste.
We sprinted across the uneven terrain, the cracked earth crunching beneath our boots as we closed in. From a distance, the scene beca clearer: a sizeable caravan of five wagons had ford a makeshift circle, surrounded by dozens of frightened, poorly-dressed people, likely refugees, and about ten lightly ard guards struggling desperately to hold the line against a horde of gnolls and their wolf mounts. Arrows and spears littered the ground, and flas licked the sides of one overturned wagon, filling the air with smoke.
“Damn it, there are too many of them!” one of the guards shouted, barely parrying a gnoll’s downward strike.
“Hold the line! Think of the children!” another cried out, though his trembling voice was filled with fear.
Their defense was crumbling fast. More than forty gnolls circled the wagons like vultures, waiting to strike from every direction.
“I’ll take the front line,” Boris declared.
“Mhm.” I nodded, issuing quick orders to the others. “Michelle, support him with Nature’s Split. Lucian, cover the wagons and keep the refugees safe. Tuilë, you’re with —we’ll break their flank.”
Tuilë tilted her head slightly, a mischievous grin forming as she cocked her hand cannon. “Kaboom?”
“Yes, Tuilë, kaboom.”
The flank was packed with enemies, far enough that Tuilë’s cannon fire wouldn’t endanger the refugees or the guards holding the line.
“Got it!” they all responded in unison.
“Adamant Flesh: Steel Body! Steel Form: Axe!” As Boris activated his skills, his skin hardened into steel, and his forearms reshaped into massive tallic axes. With a thunderous swing, he cleaved through the nearest gnoll, splitting it in two like a butcher at work.
Michelle slamd her twin axes into the ground, shouting her skill. Thorned vines burst upward, coiling around the charging wolves and dragging them down, their snarls muffled beneath the tightening grip of nature’s fury. Lucian’s magic rained down on the enemies, striking down any gnolls that tried to break past the defenders, while Tuilë’s cannon thundered beside , blasting apart a cluster of enemies blocking the main approach.
Seizing the opening, I followed up with {Gravity Field}, the ground quaking as several gnolls stumbled under the crushing force. Without pause, I followed up with {Spinning Mana Arrow}, conjuring a swarm of blue projectiles that spiraled around before streaking toward the enemies. The arrows pierced through the disoriented gnolls one after another, killing them in droves.
You have hunted [Gnoll Rider Lv.83].
You have gained 1,430 EXP.
You have leveled up.
You have hunted [Dire Wolf Lv.62].
You have gained 1,220 EXP.
You have hunted [Dire Wolf Lv.61].
You have gained 1,210 EXP.
You have hunted [Gnoll Rider Lv.80].
You have gained 1,400 EXP.
…
It was an experience point fest.
Within monts, the tide had turned. The surviving defenders stared in disbelief as the gnolls began to scatter under our coordinated assault.
“Who… who are they?” one of the guards gasped, awe-struck.
“We’re here to help you!” Michelle shouted back, shooting an arrow at a stray gnoll that approached the guard too closely. “Just focus on protecting the refugees!”
Before anyone could breathe easy, a pair of massive gnolls erged from the far side of the battlefield, their mounts kicking up dust as they advanced. Both wore crude armor stitched from bone and tal, and their bloodshot eyes glead with fury.
[Gnoll Chief – Lv.108]
The battle-hardened leaders of the gnoll tribes. Possessing superior strength, cunning, and authority, they command absolute obedience from lesser gnolls. Their fighting prowess is enhanced by a unique battle frenzy that strengthens nearby allies, making them far deadlier than ordinary warriors.
Threat Level: High
[Dire Wolf – Lv.85]
“Finally showing yourselves, huh?” I muttered, striding ahead to et them head-on.
With Fast Equip, I swapped the Howling Edge for my spear. Against mounted foes, nothing beat reach and precision—and spears were made for tearing through cavalry lines. I spun it once, feeling the familiar weight settle in my grip.
“Shaak-ka!”
The two gnolls roared in unison, raising their crude axes high. Their mounts snarled and lunged, pounding the cracked ground as they charged. The impact of their combined montum sent tremors through the badlands.
“Co,” I whispered, bracing myself.
The first chief swung his axe downward in a vicious arc. Using my movent skill, I slipped to the side in a blur and thrust my spear forward. The weapon pierced clean through the wolf’s throat before it could lunge, the beast collapsing mid-stride and dragging its rider down with it. The gnoll snarled, slashing wildly in desperation, but I twisted the spear and wrenched it free in one smooth motion, the blade carving deep across its shoulder.
The second chief ca barreling from the right, aiming to cleave in half. Before his strike could descend, I raised my hand. “{Mass Alteration}.”
The spell took effect instantly as his axe grew impossibly heavy, dragging him forward and breaking his stance. Seizing the opening, I surged ahead and unleashed Phantom Slash. My spear struck once—then again, an afterimage trailing behind the first strike to impale him through the chest.
The gnoll let out a cry, blood spraying from its mouth before it lay motionless on the ground.
You have hunted [Gnoll Chief Lv.108].
You have gained 1,680 EXP.
You have leveled up.
Realizing the danger it was in, the remaining chief scrambled toward a nearby wolf and mounted it in panic. But before he could escape, I leveled my spear and focused my strength into the tip, unleashing Heavy Stab. The weapon shot forward like a cannon bolt, piercing straight through the gnoll’s back and out of his chest. Both the rider and mount crashed to the ground, the forr dead.
You have hunted [Gnoll Chief Lv.107].
You have gained 1,670 EXP.
“That makes two.”
With the two chiefs slain, I quickly turned my attention to the remaining wolves, dispatching them before they could retaliate.
You have hunted [Dire Wolf Lv.85].
You have gained 1,650 EXP.
You have hunted [Dire Wolf Lv.85].
You have gained 1,650 EXP.
You have leveled up.
In the end, under our combined assault, almost none of the gnolls escaped, and the caravan was successfully saved.
“Cowards!” Boris shouted, pointing his axe hand toward the horizon. “They’ll warn the others and gather allies.”
“That’s fine,” I replied, lowering my spear. “At least it ans they won’t dare attack this caravan again anyti soon.”
We approached the survivors. The guards were breathing heavily, leaning on their weapons, while the refugees huddled close to the wagons. Children were crying as their parents attempted to calm them. The entire crowd was filled with a mix of fear and relief.
“Are you all right?” Michelle called out, stepping closer.
One of the guards straightened with effort and gave a shaky nod. “Y-Yes… thank you, young heroes. We thought we were done for.”
His voice cracked as he glanced toward the injured lying near the wagons. Several guards were still alive but gravely wounded, blood staining the dusty ground. Then, a faint golden light appeared among them.
As I drew closer, my eyes twitched in surprise. A young woman in a robe knelt beside the injured, her silver hair catching the fading sunlight. Her hands radiated a warm, golden glow as she whispered a prayer, the warmth of her magic knitting torn flesh and closing mortal wounds that should have been beyond saving.
“That light…” Lucian murmured, squinting his eyes. “Divine magic?”
“No way… To think that she would be here as well.” I shook my head slowly, though in truth, it didn’t surprise . After what had happened in the last scenario, this almost felt inevitable.
“You know our saintess?” one of the guards asked, his tone filled with awe. “She’s our savior—the one guiding us to a safe settlent.”
“More than know.”
When the woman turned, her crimson eyes widened in recognition just as mine did.
“Istellise?” I called out to her.
Her expression brightened into a radiant smile. “Maxim…? It really is you! And the others are here too!”
Michelle blinked, taken aback. “Wait! So Istellise’s part of the eighth scenario as well?”
“Eighth scenario?” Istellise tilted her head and continued with a tone filled with gratitude even amidst the chaos, “It seems fate has intertwined our paths once more.”
“So it seems.” I nodded.
“Hah! Small world, huh?” Boris laughed, his tallic sheen fading as Adamant Flesh deactivated. “Little missy, what’re you doing in a wasteland like this?”
“Yeah, weren’t you stuck in the desert near Saharan City before?” Tuilë added, resting her cannon against her shoulder.
“That was more than a month ago,” Istellise responded, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face. “After you all were called back by the gods, I thought I would never see you again. But perhaps… the gods have willed it otherwise. It seems they’ve sent you to save once more.”
By the gods…? It must be sothing about her religion and faith, but then why did she call us ‘divine warriors’? Well, the fact that she called us divine warriors couldn’t be ascertained since her words were cut in the middle, but still…
As I was in deep thought, Istellise rose to her feet and continued in a hushed voice, “We’re heading toward an abandoned town not far from here. I have been following the sacred relic’s guidance, and it points to a place of light where dangers dare not tread. I believe that’s where I should lead these refugees to.”
“The sacred relic?” Lucian tilted his head. “You an that crystal ball from before?”
She nodded and reached into her robe, pulling out a white, luminous orb wrapped carefully in cloth. “Yes. The sa relic we retrieved from Saharan Castle. It still responds to my prayers. Every ti I invoke it, it points east, toward the ruins that lies just beyond this stretch of land.”
I crossed my arms. “So, a kind of GPS, huh?”
“G-GPS?” She tilted her head in confusion, joined by Michelle, Tuilë, and Lucian, who all gave the sa puzzled look.
“It’s nothing,” I said quickly, waving it off. “Go on.”
“Well,” Istellise continued, “the relic is said to resonate with divine sanctuaries. If I’m right, that town might be one of them—a place of protection, a haven for these people. And perhaps…” her gaze softened as she looked toward the refugees, “it’s also the place I’ve been searching for.”
Her words carried quiet conviction, and I couldn’t help but notice how her calm presence seed to steady everyone around her. The fear and tension that had hung heavy in the air monts ago began to fade, replaced by hope. Even the guards straightened, their expressions less weary than before. It was clear that she was a natural leader, or in this case, a natural beacon of hope.
Then, Istellise turned to us once more, or to specifically, and pleaded in an earnest voice, “Please, would you lend us your strength and escort us to our destination? It’s not far, but with the gnolls still prowling nearby, we may not survive the journey alone.”
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